Ghost in My Shadow
by Jon'ic Recheio
Summary: The worst day of Mac's life turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. It all started with the words, "…so I was thinking what would happen if I could prove ghosts were real? DISCONTINUED
1. Transformation

Holy Toledo! I didn't think I was ever going to post this on But, here it is. For those of you that don't know me, I usually just post my SG-1 stories, but this one got such a great response on my personal website that I had to post it here for the masses. If you'd like to see my site, just go to my profile and click on homepage.

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"…so I was thinking; what would happen if I could prove ghosts were real?" David Kauffman took hurried steps down the hall that led to his lab in Phoenix's Western Division's basement. "It got me into studies of ectoplasm, ghost hunters, haunted houses and so much more! Now, see, from what I've learned, our reality is not too far from theirs. If given enough energy, and focused correctly, a portal could be built and used to enter into their reality and enable us to view it! I've had a lot of success with computer models, and I wanted you to be here for the first live test, Mac. If all goes right, it should work!"

MacGyver merely rolled his eyes and tried to look like he believed Kauffman. But, to him, ghosts were nothing more than childhood fantasy. Science said: "Ghosts aren't real." Therefore, they aren't. At least to him. But, to people like Kauffman, always searching for dreams to become real, everything they saw on TV could be somehow translated into reality.

Though, he couldn't help but pity Kauffman. He felt sorry for what the "scientist" was about to find out. Dr. Kauffman's dreams were about to be crushed by reality and Mac knew it was going to hurt. He wished he could do something to convince the man that he was wrong, but he'd already tried and had only made the problem worse.

Looking over David's shoulder he could see the door to the lab up ahead. What he wouldn't give to be _anywhere_ else at the moment. He didn't want to see another man broken in front of him. He didn't want to see David's dreams crushed before his eyes. He'd seen enough of that in his lifetime. Men had wasted away in front of their dreams, and he was tired of seeing it.

"Well, Mac, here we are!" Kauffman slid his key card through the reader and the gunmetal gray door opened with a click. "Get a load of this."

With that, Kauffman pushed open the door to reveal his lab.

Inside was a flurry of activity all centered around a giant circular machine. The portal itself was seven feet wide, seven feet high, and seven feet long. The inside was filled with modified solar panels that were a white gray color. The outside was concrete gray with blue lines running horizontally around it in a sort of sunburst pattern.

The front of the machine had dozens of blinking lights and the side to MacGyver's right had a keypad, LCD screen, some different buttons, and two red knobs. All in all, it was an impressive sight to behold.

Mac suddenly found himself wondering if it would actually work. It sure as hell looked like it would. Though it also looked like it would spontaneously take flight too, or start spouting out the String Theory at the drop of a hat. He held back a laugh at the thoughts; quite sure that nothing would happen when Kauffman flipped the switch, besides shutting down all the power for an entire city block.

"Uh, David," Mac said slowly, following the scientist further into the lab, "is this safe?"

"As safe as anything like this can be." Kauffman replied. "Feel free to look around; we have a few last minute things to do."

MacGyver nodded, then walked over to the front on the machine. He bent his neck back trying to look up at the top of the machine. Frowning, he glanced at the instrument panel to his right. Various things were passing on the LCD screen, and none made any sense, except the power levels, which were at quarter capacity.

Mac focused his gaze onto the inside, wondering exactly what Kauffman had done to the solar panels, if they were solar panels at all. They were obviously for the focusing part of Kauffman's explanation, or at least, Mac though they were. But, with things like these he could never really be sure until they were turned on.

Letting his curiosity get the best of him, MacGyver stepped inside the machine.

He looked down at his feet to see the floor of the machine was covered in the strange panels too, not just the walls and ceiling. He stepped further in, admiring Kauffman's work. The guy sure went all out with this project, that much was certain. Most of the funding had come from the man's own account, not just the Phoenix grants, amazingly.

Mac was so engrossed in his exploration that he didn't hear the P.A. announcing that the live test was about to begin.

"…five, four, three, two…one. Commencing power up sequence."

Mac frowned. Was it getting hot in there or was it just him? Confused, he glanced around and noticed that the panels were glowing. His eyes widened in shock for a brief moment, but before he could think, a bright green light erupted and MacGyver knew no more.

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Wow. I've shocked myself. Sadly, that happens quite often. Please drop me a line and tell me what ya think. Oh, and fair warning, I've only written 5 chapters of this and it likely will not be finished, so don't kill me please! Review!


	2. Discoveries

Well, here's chappie number two. Enjoy!

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"…Mac! Mac? MacGyver!" Mac could feel someone shaking his shoulder, and the voice was vaguely familiar too. "MacGyver! Dammit Mac! Wake up!"

Mac let out a low groan. Damn if he didn't hurt all over! 'What the hell happened?' he thought groggily, trying to remember where he was and why he was lying on the floor with someone trying to wake him up.

"Mac?" MacGyver now recognized the voice, and it sent a shot of worry straight down to his gut. It was Pete. "MacGyver c'mon! Open your eyes!"

"Wha…?" Mac blinked his eyes open, squinting at the bright light coming from the lab ceiling. 'Wait…Lab? Kauffman's test! I was caught…' Mac suddenly bolted upright. He looked at Pete with wide, shock filled, eyes. "Why am I still alive?"

"I don't know." Kauffman interrupted, making Mac look up from his position on the floor into Kauffman's face. The scientist was standing there looking _very_ nervous. "I've been trying to figure it out for as long as you've been unconscious, which was about an hour."

Mac just blinked stupidly at Kauffman, not quite ready to deal with the situation yet. 'How the hell did they not know I was inside the machine anyway? What kind of idiot turns on something like that without checking first! And hey, where's that greenish light coming from?'

"Wait," Mac pushed himself up onto shaky feet, Pete was at his shoulder, ready to catch him if he fell. He turned to his left to look at the portal. It was filled with swirling green and white light. "Oh my god. It worked? That insane contraption actually worked?"

"Yes, my good friend, it did!" Kauffman exclaimed proudly. "Of course, after you came flying out of it our joy over the discovery was put on hold. I called Pete down here immediately, after we confirmed you were alive first. We argued, then tried to wake you up, which took about twenty minutes or so, by the way."

MacGyver barely heard the man; he was too entranced by the portal. 'It couldn't have worked! It's impossible! I should be dead and that machine should have blown the entire basement sky high!' Then again, He supposed he'd rather be alive and that machine working than dead and it blown up. 'Lesser of two evils I guess. Though, I wish this whole mess had never happened in the first place! Damn Kauffman and damn my curiosity! It really did kill the cat…'

"Mac…" Pete said slowly, coming to stand beside the confused troubleshooter. "Maybe you should go home and rest. In fact, I insist, considering what you've been through in the past hour."

MacGyver nodded dumbly, letting Pete lead him out of the lab and to the parking lot.

Mac honestly didn't know what to think. What had happened to him when the machine had been turned on? What was that green flash? How had he survived that intense heat, and without a scratch to boot! It was as if it had never happened, as if he didn't have a hundred solar panels focusing energy on him. What effect did being exposed to the much raw energy have on him?

He could feel Pete lead him out of the elevator that led to the parking lot. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't remember the journey there. It seemed he was doing the a lot lately. Forgetting where he was and letting his mind run on autopilot while he tuned out the world. So far, nothing good had come of it.

"You know," Pete said, shaking Mac out of his thoughts, "maybe I should drive you home."

Mac was about to argue, then changed his mind. What business did he have behind the wheel of a car at the moment? He was so spacey he was sure he'd drive off the road and into another car, light pole, or god forbid, another human being. "Good idea, Pete. I don't trust myself to drive a car at the moment."

Pete smiled wanly and the two walked over to his car. Pete unlocked the doors and Mac opened the passenger side.

He went to sit down, but suddenly found himself falling through the seat. He let out a startled yelp that Pete echoed. There he was, sitting with his head sticking out of the car seat the rest of him everywhere in between. He took in a deep breath and turned to face Pete.

"Uh, Pete?" Mac said shakily, his breath coming in short gasps.

"Yeah?" Pete answered in the same tone, his facial expression mirroring MacGyver's.

"What's-what's goin' on?" Mac lifted his right hand and watched as it passed through the seat before his eyes. He swallowed hard, gathering his courage, then slowly stood. His head and shoulders were now sticking out of the top of Pete's Cadillac. Carefully, he stepped out of the car to stand only on the pavement.

Cautiously, he reached out to touch the passenger door. He let out a sigh of relief when his hand didn't pass through it.

"What just happened?" Pete asked from inside the car, not having moved and inch.

"I- I don't know." Mac said softly, staring at his hand in front of his face. Letting out a breath, he carefully sat back down in the car seat. He turned to Pete and said, "Just take me home."

And so, Pete Thornton did.

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Sorry it's short, the next chapter is over twice as long. Hope ya like it. Review!


	3. Testing Your Wings

Ever seen the tv show "Danny Phantom"? It might help for this next bit. I did the best I could with explaining it but well...Anyway, partial credit goes to them and the rest to the makers of MacGyver. Enjoy!

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LATER THAT NIGHT…

MacGyver stared distractedly at the TV screen. Pete had finally left an hour ago. It had taken a while for Mac to convince him that he really didn't need to go to the hospital and it had taken much longer to convince the older man to leave him alone for the night. It was a hard feat to accomplish, seeing as he'd fallen through the couch twice during their discussion. But, he'd finally won the argument, and now things were quiet, besides the muffled sounds coming from the TV.

Mac still wasn't sure what the accident had done to him, but now he was sure _something_ had happened. As if falling through solid objects wasn't a clue! That blasted machine had done something to him on a molecular level, if not deeper. It had rearranged his entire DNA structure that much he was certain of.

The question was, however, how much did it alter? What had it changed, and to what degree? It had obviously given him some sort of strange power. But, what else had it given him? What could he do? Besides walk through walls. What had that machine done to him? What had it changed him into? What had he become in the blink of an eye?

"Maybe," Mac thought aloud, getting up off the couch, "maybe, I should start with the basics." He took in a deep breath. "Okay, basic super hero power one: The ability to fly."

Shutting his eyes tightly in concentration, Mac willed himself into the air. A few moments went by and he began to feel like an idiot. He began to wonder if the only thing the machine did was make him able to walk through walls. And while it was a nice trick, he was sort of hoping for a little more to go on. He sighed. This wasn't going anywhere-

Suddenly, his feet were no longer on the floor.

MacGyver's eyes flew open and he looked down at the ground, surprised to find himself five feet in the air in the middle of his living room. With a strangled yelp, he hit the floor hard, landing on his stomach because of his lost concentration.

He groaned softly under his breath. 'Damn. That hurt. Ow.' He let out a breath, then pushed himself back upright. He stood and did a quick inventory of his body, checking for injuries. Finding none, he decided to continue with his experiment.

"Okay, onto number two. Laser beams." He winced. "I hope I don't break anything _too_ major."

Steeling himself, Mac stretched out his right arm, palm vertical and his fingers spaced, like he'd seen on a TV show. He faced the French doors that led to the patio and prayed that he wouldn't burn the house down trying to do this. His brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to imagine a beam shooting from his hand and hitting one of the glass panels on the French doors.

He let out a sigh. "Again with nothing-" as blast of red energy shot from his hand in the middle of his sentence and demolished one of the glass squares in the door, startling Mac. "…happening."

He stared at the hole in his door for a few long moments, stunned that it had actually worked. 'I just blew a hole in my backdoor. Huh. Wait…I blew a hole in my backdoor! Holy-- I _blew_ a _hole_ in _my backdoor_! I-I don't believe it! This-it's-it's not possible! It can't be.' His breathing was quick as he stared through the hole in his door and out onto the dark ocean.

"I didn't just do that!" Mac drew in a shaky breath, trying to settle his nerves. He slowly lowered his arm.

Did he really want to continue with this exploration? Did he really want to find out exactly what that machine had done to him? While his living room would fair better if he stopped now, his mind would not. He'd constantly wonder what happened and probably fall through many more solid objects. If he stopped he'd wonder for the rest of his life if his new found abilities could have saved lives and made a difference.

Did he really want to stop because of his fear? Or did he want to keep going and use everything he learned on his missions for the Phoenix Foundation and save more people than he could before? Being able to walk through walls alone would save dozens of people from waiting around for one of his clever fixes that usually didn't go as planned. How long could he keep that up before one of them failed and good people ended up dead because of him?

At what price did stopping come? And, was he willing to pay it? The answer to that question was a simple: No. He couldn't watch someone die when he could have flown down and saved them. Like Mike. If this had happened earlier, she wouldn't be dead. She never would have fallen.

He swallowed past the lump in his throat. "I still can't believe I did that." He muttered, turning away from the smoldering French doors. "Alright, power number three: A shield."

What was going to happen when he tried this, Mac couldn't predict. One thing he knew; it was a power that would come in extremely handy. No more hiding behind poor cover from explosions. He could just throw up a shield and save them from flying shrapnel and the blast itself. No more thinking he got away, only to find a piece of flying debris lodged in his leg.

He took a deep breath and concentrated on a shield, of any sort of shape materializing out of the air. But, again, it seemed his powers did not want to cooperate with him. Nothing seemed to happen when he wanted it too happen. And if it worked like this in the field, then he was screwed. Just as he was about to give up, something happened.

"Whoa!" It seemed every time he thought nothing was going to happen, something would. Mac was standing inside a red dome shaped shield that was definitely big enough for two people to fit in. It was about as wide as he was tall and the top was six inches above his head. The energy had lighter red lines running through it in a strange wave pattern than emanated from the top and flowed downwards.

"This is…" Mac said softly, amazement coloring his voice and face. "…truly amazing."

He let the shield go, and it dissipated, following the pattern of the waves. He took in a deep breath and looked around his living room, glad to be able to do this. He could help people even better than before now. Then a thought occurred to him. What if he could turn invisible? It was the ultimate prize in his occupation. If he could master it…

"I need a mirror."

That thought in mind, he raced up the stairs and into the master bathroom. He stopped in front of the sink and looked into the mirror, staring intently into his own brown eyes. There was something different in them, but what he couldn't fathom. There was a strange light to them; it was almost as if a different person was looking out at himself.

But, when he looked harder, he realized it was just him. Just MacGyver. The not-quite-same man he'd been since the first time he'd ever looked into a mirror. Then again, his eyes still seemed almost alien on his face. Which was odd, because they were the same eyes he'd had since he was born. The same brown eyes he always saw when he looked into the mirror, or saw them reflected on some surface.

Mac shut his eyes and bowed his head away from the image in the mirror. Why did this have to happen to him? Why did he have to turn into a super powered freak? It wasn't even his choice! It was Kauffman's fault that he was like this! It seemed if anything was going to happen, it would happen to him. He couldn't go to the grocery store without it being robbed, f'cryin' out loud! What did he have to do to catch a break?

Was it so hard for the world to leave him alone for five minutes? What did he have to do to get some peace and quiet? Disappear?

Mac froze when he felt a strange sensation travel through his body. Slowly he lifted his head and looked up into the mirror. He jumped back with a shout when he saw that it was devoid of his reflection. Breathing fast, he looked down at his body, surprised to see his jeans and Nike shoes solid and accounted for. 'What the hell?'

He looked back up into the mirror, and it was still disturbingly empty. A smile slowly crept its way onto his face. He'd done it! He'd _actually_ done it! He was invisible!

"Damn." He breathed. He looked down at his shoes, then back up at the mirror. "Wow. I can see my body when I look, but the mirror is still empty. Handy little trick." He cocked his head to one side. "Sound seems to travel. I'd better work on walking more quietly." He sighed. "Right. I'd really like to see my reflection now."

The air in the mirror seemed to shimmer, then his image came into focus. Mac let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding, quite glad to be visible again. While it was fun, he didn't want to stay invisible forever. He'd seen situations like that turn bad before a thousand times on television. He didn't want to become the next victim of stupidity.

"Well," He said to the air, "at least I know it works. If anyone saw me though, they'd know who I was in a heartbeat. Not a go-"

Out of nowhere, two red rings of light appeared around his waist and began to move in opposite directions of each other. One went down over his pants and shoes, the other over his torso and head. A bright red light flashed and when it was gone MacGyver was looking at an entirely different person in the mirror.

He jumped backwards and hit the wall across from the bathroom sink. His chest heaved as he looked at the foreign image in the mirror. It was him, but then, it wasn't. His face looked the same, but his eyes were crimson red, they glowed slightly as they glinted in the synthetic light of the bathroom. His shirt was midnight black and long sleeved with a blood red sleeveless down vest over it. His pants were the same midnight black color as his shirt. They were baggy and made of a strange light weight material, as was everything he was wearing.

The pants covered blood red boots that buckled instead of laced. His hands were adorned with red fingerless gloves the color of his boots and vest. His hair was blood colored and spiked towards the back resembling and angry cat's fur. A strange soft white glow seemed to surround his whole body as well. All in all, he barely resembled the man who was standing in the room thirty seconds ago.

"Holy shit." He breathed out, nothing else seemed appropriate to say at that very moment. He stepped slowly back up to the bathroom counter. Reaching out, the fingers of his right hand touched the glass of the mirror over his eye. "This is what I really am." He whispered softly. "A monster, a phantom, a ghost."

Somehow, he knew what he was, what he had become, what Kauffman had made him into. A ghost. He wasn't alive, that much he knew. And for confirmation, he put his fingers to the pulse point on his neck. His skin was stone cold and he could feel no pulse. He froze. And he wasn't breathing either. 'I'm not breathing! I'm alive, but I'm not breathing!'

"I'm dead." He locked eyes with his reflection; the red color was disturbing. "I'm a ghost and I'm dead. I don't want to be dead!"

Suddenly, the red rings appeared again with the accompanying red flash. When it cleared, MacGyver was staring at himself once again. His blue t-shirt was still stained in the bottom left corner from a fight with the bleach bottle, his jeans were still old and worn in, his shoes where still an off white color from a lot of use. And best of all, his eyes were back to their welcoming brown color.

But, they were not his eyes. He could still see the ghost lurking behind them, the hint of red flecks told that story. It was what he couldn't identify before. What he really was, was behind his eyes to any who looked hard enough for it. He breathed a small sigh, glad to be breathing again. He could feel the thump of his heart in his chest after not being able to for a whole five minutes.

"That was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me." Mac said to his reflection. "Not even Murdoc was as bad as that."

He ran a hand through his hair and over his neck suddenly tired. He let out a yawn and glanced at his watch. 11:00 pm, no wonder he was tired. He walked to the bathroom door and paused. Casting one last glance at the mirror, he turned and switched off the light, heading for his bed for a much need night of sleep. He'd go talk to Pete in the morning, for now, sleep was what he needed most.

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Well, chappie three. Please review! And yes, I know, I got the idea from Danny Phantom, don't hurt me! Review!


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